Growth in a feel-good atmosphere

The Stego Group in Schwäbisch Hall is growing. Even during the pandemic. Almost without restraint. Rising product demand has led to a strain on material supply and logistics. The doubling of warehouse volume of the fully automated warehouse completed in May provided relief here. The workforce, which is driving and managing the growth, is also growing, however. In the first half of 2022 alone, staff numbers at Stego increased by 10% to now 150 employees. The new construction provides offices for the growing number of staff and an atmosphere for efficient and creative working. Bright, spacious offices with flexible workstations should facilitate the agile cooperation of the present. However, relationships with customers and suppliers should also be supported. A representative showroom for displaying Stego products and services will become the hub of the reception area in order to provide appropriate space to convey the company’s values and brand promise.

A low CO2 footprint was ensured during planning. The two-storey structure of 1,500 square metres is designed to what is currently the most stringent German building standard for energy efficiency, KFW 40, and provides 70 office desks, staff rooms and an integrated canteen. The photovoltaic system on the roof of the new construction is also environmentally friendly. It provides the machines in production with sustainably produced electricity.

Visible champion

"We are no longer a hidden champion. Today, we want to be a visible one", is how Elmar Mangold, Managing Director, summarises the alignment for the future of Stego. The positive business development of the internationally active family company gives room for this view. After all, the traditional line of business – thermal management applications – is booming worldwide. Stego’s workforce now boasts some 220 employees, of which 70 are in branches abroad. The requirements for manpower are manifold. For example, engineers and programmers are sought for the development in hardware and software. Especially also in sales, production and logistics, however, staff are sought to cover the increased customer requirements. The company headquarters in Schwäbisch Hall controls a total of nine branches, located in Europe, the USA, Brazil and a sales office in China. With an export ratio of over 70%, internationalisation is one of the keys to the company’s success. The last decade bestowed the company with constantly increasing sales. New products are the key driving force behind this development. For example, in autumn 2022, half a dozen new products are being introduced to the market at the SPS trade fair in Nuremberg. The foci here are control cabinet heaters in the new loop design and sensors for measuring condition data in industrial systems.

Digital solutions

Stego invests in the digital future. For example, the medium-sized company from Schwäbisch Hall offers an in-house-developed platform for Industry 4.0 for the condition monitoring of industrial systems: Stego Connect. The Web-based service enables the operation of intelligent factories using the IO-Link protocol developed in Germany. With Plug & Connect, distributed sensors and machines in the production plants are centrally configured, monitored and controlled in the cloud application.

Maschinenhaus strengthens STEM subjects

Shortages of skilled workers, demographic change, unpopular STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) – these are just a few of the issues casting a shadow over the critical state of science and technical training in Germany. These phenomena are not new; indeed, the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) has been actively tackling them since 2013 with its “Maschinenhaus – platform for innovative teaching” initiative.

The goal of the Maschinenhaus transfer projects is to encourage the integration of actual business and market needs into university teaching and help to ensure that educational content is suitably focused on these. Too many students are still dropping out of technical courses. This is very concerning for the German economy, for which these new talent represent a “traditional backbone” for innovative and complex products and services with Made in Germany quality.

Therefore, STEGO Managing Director Elmar Mangold quickly recognised the importance of taking part in the VDMA transfer project: “I am personally committed to getting young people excited about careers in engineering. Our active association work promoting the use of digital tools in education helps to link the spheres of educational institutions and businesses. We want to do our bit to solidify the appeal of tech careers. Aalen University is now making a start. As we go forward, we want to actively help other universities to gain practical access to Industry 4.0 applications.”

STEGO CONNECT IIoT platform

The concept for the concluding workshop on ecological smart homes was developed in cooperation with Mechatronics Professor Peter Eichinger. STEGO supported each of the six ten-student project teams by giving them cloud-based access to its internally developed STEGO CONNECT IIoT platform and providing demonstration cases with industrial hardware for automation solutions. Based on the Plug & Connect approach, the students were able to use these to bring their ideas and solutions to life.

Environmentally friendly, sustainable living in our homes formed the creative field of action for linking operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) in the Makeathon. The students used the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to bring the operational technology in the form of sensors and actuators up to a state-of-the-art level. The STEGO CONNECT IIoT platform functioned here as an information technology component, allowing the students to implement complicated, event-based interactions of building automation components in the process system in an intuitive, simple, clear and easily parameterisable way. The project teams came up with exciting solutions in areas such as building access control, air-conditioning and safety technology, to name just a few.

Mechatronics Professor Ulrich Schmitt, who drove the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the Maschinenhaus project, confirmed the event’s effectiveness. “In the Maschinenhaus transfer project, students can literally get to grips with their studies. They deal with a specific issue, translate that into a task, work on the project in an interdisciplinary manner within a team and bring their individual solution to life, which they then present to the auditorium at the end.”

The Makeathon’s successful conclusion was marked by the presentation of the Maschinenhaus certificate by VDMA educational expert Michael Patrick Zeiner. The Faculty of Optics & Mechatronics at Aalen University is thus the 59th faculty in Germany to be recognised for successfully completing the transfer project.

Push-In terminals for faster connection 

With the new KTO / KTS thermostats, STEGO has taken the opportunity to adapt its regulators to meet the requirements of the enclosure manufacturing industry. KTO 111 and KTS 111 connect to the power supply tool-free using Push-In terminals on the front of the housing. The terminals provide constant pressure on the connection wires ensuring safety even during transportation of preassembled enclosures. It prevents wires from becoming loosened. Another advantage of the Push-In terminals is a 2/3rd reduction of installation time due to tool-free wiring.  

NC and NO Contacts for optimal climate 

The mechanical thermostat may appear to be small and possibly unspectacular, however only at a first glance! Thermostats are important components in every enclosure. They regulate the climatization of electronic components within the desired temperature range and thus help protect against harmful condensation. The two new thermostats are designed as two-state regulators with a sensor element made of thermostatic bimetal. The flexible bimetal bends under the influence of temperature and switches a snap-action contact. The KTO 111 is a contact breaker (NC – normally closed – the contact opens when the temperature is rising) for regulating heaters. The KTS 111 is a contact maker (NO – normally open, the contact closes when the temperature is rising) for regulating filter fans, heat exchangers, cooling appliances, or switching signal devices. So, what is the advantage of using a thermostat duo over a thermostat with change-over contact? The combination of two single thermostats (NC and NO) is more economical and allows the user to individually set the temperature ranges for heating and cooling. On the other hand, the change-over contact provides a specific changing point between heating and cooling and is a good choice when space is at a premium. 

More air to “breath” 

The Schwaebisch Hall, Germany-based company has put a lot of effort into the re-design of the thermostat housing. Now the thermostat has “more air to breath”.  Enlarged air gaps on the rear of the thermostat housing ensure an optimized air intake and thus improved response time to temperature changes. Noticeable is also the curved, ergonomic housing design on the front with a large setting dial, which is easier to read and increases safety against unintentional adjustments: the temperature setting can only be changed with a screwdriver. STEGO´s Head of Development Peter Witsch points out the company’s special relationship to the enclosure and cabinet thermostat: “Our company co-founder and former Head of Development Hartmut Eisenhauer developed the bimetal thermostat for enclosures and control cabinets around 30 years ago. Since then, this product invention has become an established industry product. Therefore, we are committed to further extend the product benefits for customers with each re-design.” 

Tried and tested in harsh environments 

The operating temperature of the thermostats ranges from -45 to +80 °C (-49 to + 176 °F) in an environment with a maximum of 90 % relative humidity (non-condensing). KTO / KTS are developed for protection type IP20 and protection class 2, achieve a verified service life of 100,000 cycles, and are suitable for the following switching currents: AC 250 V, AC 120 V, and DC 24 to 72 V. The maximum inrush current is AC 16 A for 10 seconds. The switch temperature difference is 7 K with a tolerance of ±4 K. They are mounted by the clip for a DIN rail. A special feature of the new thermostats is their suitability for use in high altitudes. The thermostats can be used up to 5,000 meters (in overvoltage category II) and up to 2,000 meters (in overvoltage category III), thanks to the optimized air gap and increased creepage distance. The thermostats KTO 111 and KTS 111 have standard agency approvals, such as safety approvals by UL and VDE.